


In Another World

by zuli



Series: In Another World [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 13:25:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zuli/pseuds/zuli
Summary: Kyungsoo lives alone in his small apartment, working most days. But he’s been having strange dreams, and they’re starting to become part of his reality





	1. Chapter 1

Kyungsoo woke up, sweat thick on his forehead. He panted heavily, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He looked at his bare feet in the dim light. He picked up the clock by his bed and checked the time. It was just past three in the morning.

He rubbed his face, waiting for his breathing to return to its normal pace. But…why had he woken like that?

He tried hard to pry into his memory and retrieve the contents of his dream, but like most nights, now that he was awake, he had no memory of what he had dreamed.

He looked back at his bed, moonlight streaming in through the windows and falling across his crumpled white sheets. He ruffled his hair. Something felt weird to him, like he was meant to do something but he couldn’t remember what it was.

He couldn’t decide if he should try to go back to sleep or let himself wake up fully.

He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

“Kyungsoo.”

His eyes flew open. He looked around the room. There was no one there, no one to have spoken. The voice had been soft and when he heard it he felt it was familiar, but as soon as he opened his eyes he found it hard to tell if he really had heard the voice or if it was his imagination.

Whose voice was it?

He tried to remember, but the harder he thought, the more distant the voice, and the memories connected with it, became.

He stood up. His heart was pounding, his feet trying to pull him away from his bed, itching to bring him somewhere else. But where?

He walked into the bathroom, heading there without thinking. He turned on the sink, letting the cold water run over his hands, slowly clearing his head. He must be imagining things. He was tired. He hadn’t slept well for a few days. That’s all. He looked up, his eyes locking with someone else’s curved brown eyes, shadowed by the dim light of night, soft blonde hair falling into his face. Kyungsoo yelped and jumped back. He stared at the mirror, his own round brown eyes looking back at him, his chest rising and falling quickly as he gasped for air.

He was going crazy. That’s all there was to it. Water dripped off of his hands onto the floor. His terrified reflection creeped him out, even though he was relieved knowing it was his own face and not someone else’s.

Go to bed, he told himself. You need to sleep.

He crawled back into bed, slipping his feet under the covers. He scooted to the middle of the bed, pulling one of the many pillows on his bed close to him, hugging it and burying his face in it. He fell asleep, keeping his mind clear of any thoughts.

He got to work ten minutes early. This was a consistent thing for him. He worked at a small cafe on the street, which went mostly unnoticed by people passing by, but got the odd bustle of customers throughout the day. The cafe was run by a kind older lady, who worked whenever she wanted to. She was the only one who would hire him on such short notice when he showed up in the city with nothing but his name. He worked for her when she felt like sleeping in or taking days off, and he made just enough to live off of, though he frequently skipped meals and was almost always late paying his rent.

He enjoyed it, his life. He had no idea who he had been, where he had been going with his life or with any friends or family he may have had, but he had quickly put all of that behind him. He built his short life here, and he was content. The sickening spells of deja vu soon started to fade, and his searing headaches had lessened from daily to weekly to monthly. His last one was two months ago.

He was Kyungsoo, and he was almost normal.

He pulled his apron around his waist, tying a small, neat bow in the back. He opened the store, feeling the bite of the cold morning air on his bare arms. The day would warm up later, but mornings were always a little chilly.

He started the coffee and arranged the pastries in the display case. Customers appeared and disappeared, ordering coffees and rubbing sleep from their eyes as they stumbled off into work.

As it neared lunchtime, people slowed down a little more. They came in and stuck around, reading books and eating.

Kyungsoo sat behind the register, playing with his fingernails, looking out of the glass windows facing the street.

“Hey.” He looked up at the red headed girl. “Your clock’s broken.” She pointed to the clock across from him. He looked at it. 11:19. He checked his own watch. It too read 11:19.

“What time is it?” he asked, looking at her questioningly.

“It’s nearly 12:30,” she said, looking at her phone.

“That’s odd.” Kyungsoo stared at his watch, and the clock on the wall. It was funny that both of them had stopped at the exact same time.

“Anyway, I’ll have a coffee please.”

“Right.” Kyungsoo poured the coffee, setting it carefully on the counter in front of her. He glanced outside, seeing a man wearing a heavy grey over coat passing by. He frowned, the man’s head turning slightly back, like he would turn around and face him-

Glass sprayed inward, glittering shards raining across the store. Kyungsoo ducked automatically, the startled yells of the customers accompanying the tinkling of glass on the hard floor. He uncovered his head, a few pieces of glass falling out of his hair.

A hand grabbed his wrist and he was pulled roughly to his feet. Kyungsoo stared at the taller boy, his eyes wide. He met his dark brown eyes, blonde hair falling in a wave into his face, a heavy grey coat resting on his shoulders.

“You’re-” Kyungsoo began.

“Come with me,” the boy said, dragging him away. Glass crunched beneath their feet as he pulled him around the counter.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo pulled back, stopping their progress. “I can’t leave, I have to clean up.”

“Please, come with me. It’s not safe,” the other boy said, facing away from him.

“I can’t-”

He pulled Kyungsoo’s wrist, turning him and bringing him closer. Kyungsoo gasped slightly, and the boy grabbed his forearm, almost hurting him as he yanked him outside. He pushed him into a narrow alley a block away from the cafe, finally releasing him.

“Who are you?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I can’t tell you,” he responded, shaking his head. His eyes flickered up to meet his, then lowered again. “Move somewhere else. It can still be in this city, if you’re careful, but you can’t work here or live where you do now.”

“Why are you asking me to do that? I don’t know you, there’s no reason why I’d listen to you.”

“Kyungsoo, please.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed. “But you know me.”

“Please,” the boy said desperately. “Don’t try to remember me. Forget my face, pretend this never happened. Just…move. Please.”

He tried to leave, but Kyungsoo caught his wrist. The boy looked down, biting his lip. Kyungsoo shifted his grip, moving his hand away from the bulky gold watch on his wrist.

“Why did my watch and the clock in the shop stop at 11:19? Why did your watch also…but that girl’s phone didn’t. No one else seemed to have a problem. What does it mean?”

“It means we’re running out of time,” he said quietly, head down.

“I recognize you…I had a dream…”

The boy winced. “I have to leave. Don’t talk to anyone who looks like me. Don’t even look at them. Just walk by, and the first chance you get, run.”

The boy pulled his hand from Kyungsoo’s and quickly disappeared around the corner. Kyungsoo let his hand fall to his side and watched after him.


	2. Chapter 2

He had made a terrible mistake. The glass broke and he panicked. He shouldn’t have let Kyungsoo see him. He knew he’d try to remember, no matter what he said. He just hoped, prayed that he would take his advice and leave. He hardly had any hope that would happen, but he had it nonetheless.

He leaned against a wall, waiting for him to come out of the building of small, lopsided apartments.

He was three minutes later than usual, but he appeared, running a hand through his black hair. He stopped to talk to a little girl selling flowers across the cobbled street. He smiled widely, his eyes curving upwards and his awkward laugh ringing through the streets in the early morning.

He felt the familiar pain in his chest, wishing he could talk to him, see him smile like that for him. But he couldn’t let him remember. If he remembered, he’d die. As much as it hurt to see him look at him like a stranger, at least he was safe. Nothing mattered, as long as Kyungsoo was safe.

But he caught the familiar figure ducking into a side street, a hat pulled low over his eyes. It was an easy face to remember, as it was one he saw so often. He sighed and turned his back to road, disappearing into his own side street, walking parallel to the route Kyungsoo took most mornings, glimpses of the main road flashing between houses.

Kyungsoo left for work early, heading to the jeweler to see if he could get his watch repaired. The slick little man working there examined his gold watch with a small eyepiece that made him look like a robot or a scientist.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do, but it doesn’t look like any of the clockwork is broken. This is a really well made watch. I hope I can get it back to you in working order.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Kyungsoo smiled and pulled his coat around him tighter, stepping outside the shop and walking leisurely off towards work. He was a little early, but he didn’t mind opening ahead of schedule.

He yawned, running his fingers through his hair. He’d love to check the time, but the clock across from his seat behind the counter still said 11:19. Just like his watch.

Kyungsoo pulled over a chair, stepping up and carefully lifting the clock off the wall.

He messed around with it, trying to get it to work. He took out the batteries and put them back in, and the clock began to tick. He checked the clock on the computer and set the hands to 7:11 AM. What was the problem if the batteries weren’t dead?

He went about his work, getting ready to open. The morning was slower than normal, but besides that, nothing out of the ordinary. Kyungsoo read a book to pass the time, until he heard a strong voice like caramel pulling him out of the story.

“Excuse me, your clock stopped.”

Kyungsoo blinked, looking in the deep brown eyes of the boy standing before him. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and at the fancy gold watch on the boy’s wrist, both reading 11:19.

“So did your watch.”

The boy looked down at his wrist. “Did it? Oh, that’s odd. And at the same time too. That’s quite the coincidence.” A strand of his slicked-back blonde hair fell across his forehead. He looked back at Kyungsoo, a smile spreading across his face. “I guess I’ll have to get a coffee, since it looks like time is standing still.”

“Time isn’t standing still, you just won’t know what time it is. What can I get for you?”

“Iced americano.”

Kyungsoo prepared the coffee, glancing at the boy, who had picked up his book and was examining the cover.

“I love this book,” he said as Kyungsoo slid the coffee across the counter. “What’s your name?”

Kyungsoo stopped. “Why are you asking me that? You seemed to know me quite well yesterday.”

The boy’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his face seemed to momentarily change from bright and cheery to a much more serious expression. Then the smile returned and he flipped the book over again. “Have you read Gatsby before, Kyungsoo? This book looks quite old.”

“I have read it, but the book was old when I bought it. It’s not like it’s one of my precious childhood memories or anything. I don’t really have many of those.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, seeing the woman who owned the shop enter through the door.

“Hi Kyungsoo! Thanks for opening up for me, you’re free to leave now.”

“D-do I have the day off?” Kyungsoo asked, surprised.

“Your friend asked me if you could have the afternoon off, and I ended up being free, so I agreed. All you do is work, you don’t seem to know anyone, so I was pleased you had such a sweet friend, who even comes to get you from work.” She smiled at the blonde boy, nodding in greeting. Kyungsoo stared. The boy broke the awkward silence, pulling out his wallet.

“I’ll pay for the coffee before we leave-”

Kyungsoo’s boss pushed the wallet away. “Don’t worry about that, Kai. You’re Kyungsoo’s friend, it’s on the house.” She looked at Kyungsoo. “Go on and have fun before I decide to put you both to work.”

Kyungsoo slid the americano towards him. He untied his apron and draped it over the back of the counter, silently waving to his boss and following his “friend” out of the shop.

The other boy walked toward an expensive looking blue car parked by the side of the road.

“Who are you?” Kyungsoo asked, stopping on the sidewalk.

The boy turned around, blinking. “Kai.”

“But where did you come from? How do you know me? Yesterday you told me to forget about you…to not speak to you, and today you come to my work? And you’re acting all…different.”

“Different?” Kai looked amused. Kyungsoo thought about his somber face as they spoke yesterday.

“You seem nicer now, I don’t know.”

Kai laughed, and Kyungsoo pulled on his blue overcoat. He started walking away down the street.

“Where are you going?” Kai called.

“I need to get my watch,” Kyungsoo shouted, not looking back. Kai said nothing else, and Kyungsoo continued, walking to the jeweler.

“You’re back sooner than I thought. It’s working again, but you know what’s funny? There’s nothing wrong with it at all, but it stopped again at 11:19. I just reset it.”

“The same thing happened to the clock in my shop,” Kyungsoo said, taking his watch and fastening it around his wrist.

“You’d better be careful, you might be abducted by aliens or something. That watch shouldn’t be stopping for no reason.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “I think I already found the alien. Thank you again for your help.”

The jeweler tipped his head. Kyungsoo opened the door of the shop, stopping when he saw the dark blue car outside. Kai rolled down the window and smiled.

“Get in.”

Kyungsoo sighed and walked around to the passenger side, getting into the car. Kai turned the car around, driving towards the center of the city.

“Where do you know me from?” Kyungsoo asked.

“From your memories,” Kai replied. Kyungsoo frowned.

“I don’t have any memories. But I guessed that you already knew that, because you know who I am, but don’t think it’s weird that I don’t know you.” Kai didn’t react, hands tight on the steering wheel. Kyungsoo noticed the plain silver band around his middle finger. He lifted his own hand, the same ring glinting on his forefinger. Kai glanced down at his hand, his eyes flicking back up to the road.

“Where am I from? How do you know me? Who am I? I don’t know anything…my entire life is just eleven months long. I don’t know where I came from, how I got here, how old I am, all I know is I’m Kyungsoo. I don’t even know my last name!”

“Do Kyungsoo. Your name is Do Kyungsoo. You’re 24.” Kai’s face was stony, his eyes glued to the road ahead. “You’re from a place very far away. You disappeared…and I chased you. It was very, very hard to find you.”

Kyungsoo stared out at the grey skyline, the clouds reflecting in the dreary water of the canal.

“And…you were…” he thought hard, trying to remember seeing Kai’s face before, trying to remember ever hearing someone say ‘Do Kyungsoo’ to him.

There was a loud crack, and Kai slammed on the breaks. Kyungsoo lurched forward, his seat belt holding him back from smacking his head on the dashboard. Kyungsoo groaned, rubbing his neck. He looked out at the road and froze. Kai was standing in front of the car, his hands on the hood, glaring in at the second Kai, who let out an agitated sigh and unbuckled his seatbelt. Kyungsoo followed his lead.

The Kai outside, wearing the same grey overcoat as yesterday instead of the flashy red dress shirt the Kai beside him wore, walked around the car and pulled Kyungsoo’s door open, yanking him out of his seat. He pushed Kyungsoo behind him, gripping his wrist tightly and standing between him and the car. The other Kai slowly opened his door and stood up, looking nothing short of pissed off.

Kyungsoo gasped as the Kai holding him reached down to his belt and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at the other Kai.

“Kai what are you doing?” Kyungsoo shouted. The man before him grimaced.

“That’s not my name,” he growled.

The Kai by the car-or the only Kai-raised his hands, shaking his head and smiling.

“This is ridiculous, Jongin. We were just going for a drive.”

“Leave him alone!” Jongin bellowed. “Don’t you dare try to talk to him or find him again. Next time you come within five feet of him, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”

Kai laughed. “Why don’t you just shoot me now then? Because I promise, I won’t stop searching for him for a single second. Wherever you run to, I’ll track him down and find him. So go ahead, shoot me.”

The gun in Jongin’s hand shook. He glared with murder in his eyes, but he did not fire.

Kai laughed again. “See? You can’t shoot me. I know all about it too, Jongin. You can let go of your delusion that Frankenstein knows more than his monster. Go on, take your boy, try to convince him to leave. But good luck. All your tricks are quite clever, but you never considered that he couldn’t trust you if he doesn’t know you, did you?”

Kai ducked back into his car, shutting the doors and swerving around them, tearing off down the road.

The man named Jongin sighed in relief, the hand holding the gun dropping to his side. He turned around, pulling Kyungsoo into a tight hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted these on tumblr too if they seem familiar...Idk when I'll post the next part, but the plan is before July 15th

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you write about your least favorite ship I guess.....I actually really like this story so far tbh.


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